Exclusive Interview: Roe Moore Chats PiePie Production, Their Slate of Upcoming Films, and More
Roe Moore is a multi-hyphenated talent who is best known for her uncanny ability to create laughs in front of and behind the camera. As the founder of PiePie Productions, Roe is reshaping the industry and paving the way for the next generation of storytellers. Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to speak with Roe about her journey traversing the business, why it’s been so important for her to pay it forward, the upcoming slate of projects for PiePie Productions, and more.
PC: How did you discover your passion for storytelling and the arts?
Roe: It started back in 2005. At the time, I was working a corporate job and in a relationship that wasn’t positive; it turned out to be abusive. In my hospital bed, I thought, “What am I going to do now? I can’t stay in Colorado.” The little voices in my head urged me to go into acting and pursue something in the entertainment industry. This journey has led me to self-improvement and an understanding of how important storytelling is in everybody’s day-to-day life, not just for healing purposes, but also for relating to one another and realizing that we’re not alone. That’s where my passion for storytelling comes from.
PC: You started your career as an actor. How did that lead you to writing, directing, producing, and editing? What has that transition been like?
Roe: When I moved to L.A., I had a few acting jobs, but nothing that was paying my rent. I realized I had other skills beyond being on camera, reciting lines and showing emotions. One night, on a casting website, I saw a suspicious script supervising role with a phone number. Despite the sketchiness, I decided to give them a call, and that’s how I got in touch with Mark Thomas.
Early in my career, I produced in Denver as part of CASA or the Colorado Actors Screenwriters Assembly. It doesn’t exist anymore, but within that group, they had Six Films in Six Months. You had to produce a film every month with the intention that, by the end of the month, it would be on the big screen, finished or not.
That’s when I started producing because it was around the time that YouTube was discovering talent. I thought, “If I want to be on camera, I need to make my own work.” So, I started learning about SAG paperwork, production, funding, and crowdfunding, around 2008 or 2009. It all started because of Mark Thomas and the opportunity to script supervise, asking producers and production people about everything, understanding the ins and outs of production.
PC: You’ve really stepped into directing in the last few years. How have your experiences in front of the camera influenced the way you approach your work behind the scenes and collaborate with different actors and vice versa?
Roe: With my background as a performer, I know how vulnerable it is. Keeping sets copacetic is crucial. You have to keep the performer focused and in a space where they know they can come in, and it’s like the wonderful world of Disney, where they feel comfortable emoting. Because the hardest thing for me as a performer is showing up and thinking, “I’m going to pull something from my memory. Nobody’s going to know what I’m crying about.” If I’ve done my job, they’ll think it’s the scene, but it’s really me bringing my own take to it, whether from my imagination or real-life experiences, doing it take after take and being focused and vulnerable. If you can’t hold the actor in that bubble, they won’t be willing to go to the lengths needed to tell the story properly.
PC: Having been on this journey since 2005, what’s been the most surprising part?
Roe: How slow it moves. [laughs] I’ve had scripts developed in 2010, 2011 with little movement, while other things move quickly and easily. Everything comes together fast, and then there’s the waiting period after it’s done. We just finished Undercover Wrestler and How We Met. Those are two shorts where everything came together quickly, and now we’re in the film festival submission zone, waiting. Is the festival going to tell us soon? There’s always that point where you’re like, “Ah, I thought this one was going to evade that.”
PC: You also founded PiePie Productions. How did that come about and what are the types of stories you’re attracted to telling?
Roe: It came about because I wanted a more professional passion. Yes, it’s nice to say, “I’m producing this thing,” but having the production company label on it elevates everything. It’s a platform building something rather than an individual asking friends to come together on a weekend. I did it to legitimize myself and start building a slate of films. At any time, we have four or five projects that we are trying to raise money and build excitement for. Once one is a yes, we’ll go. It’s a format that worked better for me because I have many interests in different genres.
We’re really interested in physical comedy, drawing from my background in Second City and stand-up comedy. As a company, we want to elevate the industry to the next level we’re fighting for in the unions. Everyone’s on strike because people want different working conditions than the past decade. People are exhausted after twelve or fourteen hours. We’re trying to redesign the industry, finding ways for people to have work-life balance in the position they’re dreaming about. We also want to be a company that creates opportunities, paying it forward to others willing to bet on themselves.
PC: You’ve also had a lot of success throughout your career. When you look back, is there a moment that stands out?
Roe: There are a few. I was working on a movie called The Escort with Will Slocombe and Bruce Campbell. That was the moment where I knew I’d made it in the industry and that the world was my oyster. It was the second project that I had worked with Will and that producing team. I was like, “I’ve been asked back. I’m good. I know what I’m doing. It’s not because they had no other options. It’s because of the value that I’m bringing.” That changed my whole perspective on whether or not I could make it in the industry. I was like, “I can’t look back.” It’s snowballed after that point and I’ve gotten so many amazing opportunities. I got to work with RuPaul on the Hollywood Christmas Parade. I’m coming up on my eighth year and I love it every single time. I’ve had so many opportunities and I’m now looking forward to new opportunities in the position of being a director and having a production company that’s producing things.
PC: You were talking about the slate of projects that you’re working on. Are there any that you can chat about at this time?
Roe: We’ve got a short called How We Met, starring Dushaun Thompson. He’s incredible, and I absolutely loved working with him. He’s delightful. It also features Alex Otis. If you don’t know her, you have to find her on the road. She’s doing a lot of live comedy. She was so perfect for this role because they’re pretending to be a couple trying to set up their “How We Met” story on their wedding website. They realize that everybody wants to read about the dream meet-up, and theirs was the complete opposite. It was so boring. It’s this fun little comedy sketch going back and forth between the present day, writing what they think people want to read, and how they actually remember their relationship. That’s one of them. It’s a finalist in the Blackmagic Collective Film Festival.
Then we have Undercover Wrestler, which let me tell you, everyone I’ve told about this project is like, “Can I see it now?” We’re keeping this one a little under wraps because they want a really good film festival debut for it. But it’s essentially a WWE wrestling match that happens in a diner because a guy steals crinkle-cut french fries. I loved it because the premise is great. It’s an undercover wrestler fighting the injustices that are so little and minuscule in life that people would roll off their shoulders. He’s like, “No, we have to fight.”
It gave me the opportunity to work in stunts in a way that I hope to do again in the future because we did a full WWE wrestling match, literally from the camera angles being very sports-angled and the punches. I loved it. I’m super stoked for everyone to see it.
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